Parker Bros 28 ga VHE
 

I saw a 28 ga VHE today at a gun show that was marked differently than any Parker I have seen to date. The side of the action had Parker Bros. between the screws, but instead of the usual script lettering, it had a straight type lettering similar to the font in this forum. Is this a standard marking for some period?

Don't see a lot of 28 gauges at MD shows. Which show, which dealer?

Gettysburg. Tables on right just inside front door. Older gent and his wife. had mostly high end Winchesters but 3 Parkers. DHE Titanic large frame 12 barrels may have been cut- $3,000., Remington VHE short barrel 12 ray bar front sight- $3,000., VHE odd side marking gentleman said 28ga (maybe 28")- $6500. I did not pick up any of the guns to inspect but all 3 could benefit from a good cleanup and oiling.
It's a large show with a couple decent displays. Open tomorrow too.

If you had the first three numbers of the gun SN it might be a clue that the gun is a Remington gun. When Remington bought the Parker Gun Co. they did not buy the Parker Bros. name. Therefore, they could not use it. So some guns from Remington came out with no side of the receiver engraving and some came on the market with Parker engraved on the underside of the receiver. I have one of them. Lately on this forum there was a discussion of this issue and several guns from the Remington era were shown to have the underside engraved with the Parker name.

The 12 ga VHE had the Parker marking underneath. The smallbore had it on the side and I am pretty sure it said "Parker Bros." I did not pick the guns up so do not have any serial number info. The fellow did not have tags on the guns so I had to ask regarding prices and details. Was going to make an offer on the DHE but saw no band at the front of the rib and it actually looked larger than my 2 frame 12s.

It would be interesting to see the marking. I have seen a lot of different variations in style and size of the "Parker Bros." engraving, but they are usually all similar.

What's the name of the Gun Show?

It is a gun show. Eagle Arms Sporting Shows. 2638 Emmitsburg Rd., Gettysburg, PA- September 1, 2.

I drove through Gettysburg on Friday evening ,and saw signs of the show ! Wish I had been there Saturday ! If the gun had any condition ,$6500.00 is a good price ! Joe ,do you know if this gun was an O Frame or a OO Frame 28 ? I'll bet you there are a few fellas on there way to Gettysburg this morning ! I have to work today ! :banghead: Best ; Russ

My VHE20 doesn't say "Parker Bros" anywhere on the frame. Funny I never even noticed that until Ed Muderlak was visiting Alaska and looked at it.

Rich, Does the barrels have Vulcan script? Never seen one that did not have the frame marked, might be an interesting article for the PP. How about a photo? Gary

The gun appeared to be O frame as I initially thought it was a 20ga. Was told it was a 28ga.. Yeah, I figured more than a few guys would be interested, hence the post. There were a couple other guns at different tables of interest. A very sleek AH Fox A grade (late style engraving) 16 ga. longer barrels and very nice wood $4500. Also a Parker repro in 20ga cased 2 barrel set $5200. A Parker VHE 20ga with Monte Carlo stock- very high priced. As shows go nowadays, it was better than usual. One gent had an Englsh made double rifle in 22 Hornet- Mint. Very tiny and sleek! $36,500.

Gary. Here's the best pic I can find. From 2006. Don't have all my gun pics on my computer here at the mine. I don't remember it having the vulcan script. It's pretty late gun. It does not have Parker Bros on the floor plate either. S/N 236007

Richard;
Could'nt read your s/n other than 23???? but I have a VHE 20ga, 235xxx, and a PHE 20ga ( the last one made) that is 4 digits later and neither one have any markings of Parker or Parker Bros. on the frame.

Richard, Is that a repar at the head of the stock?

I took a drive to Gettysburg today to check out that 28ga. Met Kevin McCormick there. We looked at the gun, sorry to say the barrels had been cut to 28". There was quite a bit of separation at the muzzels so I'm just guessing that they were either 30" or 32" originally. Also, it was a VH, not a VHE. The owner didn't want us to take the gun apart unless we were serious buyers and we weren't:nono:

A friend of mine won the Parker Raffle gun years ago. It was when the annual meeting was during the Pittsburgh gun show. It was a VH grade with out " Parker Bros" on the sides or bottom.
terc

Stock repair? No. There's finish wear on the corners of the cheeks. No repairs anywhere in the gun. This was my mothers gun when she was young though I'm not sure whether she ever actually used it.

Chuck, I went back before I left and did some more close examination.

The 28 ga. had not only been cut to 28", but according to the SN book, left the factory with 26" barrels! So I shudder to think what it was cut back from (a 30" - ouch! or God forbid, a 32" - I think I need another Norvasc). And it looked like the ejectors (if there ever were any) had been replaced by a single extractor, polished out of patina with the rest of the gun. (BTW - the "up & down" engraving font of "Parker Bros" on the side is very characteristic of these first early 0-frame 28s).

The nice old 12 DHE had also been cut from 30" (again according to the SN book). Nice try on the antiquing of the muzzles & keels, though!

The third 26" VHE (interesting in that it had 'Parker" at the break on the bottom, no Parker Bros. on the sides, yet Meriden address barrels) was equipped with a hideous day-glo chartreuse raybar-type front sight, which stuck out like a Cyalume light stick. This contraption was held onto the front 1 1/4' of the rib with a small strip held down by not one but TWO screws through the rib!

The best thing about the whole trip was the jumbo sauteed soft-shell crabs lunch at the Shamrock restaurant in Emmitsburg - outstanding!

P.S. - What do you have to say to indicate that you are a "serious buyer"?

Oh Yeah; I almost forgot:

The 28 ga. VH had a bend in the floorplate just aft of the screws where some moron had seated the screws first, then proceeded to pound on the forward lip to get it to fit precisely. (Second or third example I've seen of this). Where are the floorplate police!?

Kevin did the barrel grow on the 28 ga or was the book wrong

When the question of your being a serious buyer comes into the conversation you simply respond ... "Of course I am, why else would I show a particular interest in a Parker?"

Richard, At first glance it looked like there was a piece of wood inletted into the head of the stock to cover a repair, but now I see the edge wear. I'm familiar with the story behind the gun and I have to say it's one of my favorite hand me down Parker stories. Some of my favorite guns come from my grandfather, nothing special, no Parkers but I like to carry them around.

Chris;

As I said, the SN book recorded the gun as having 26" bbls. as originally built.

Dean;

The "serious buyers ONLY!" command came from the dealer when I asked to take the forend off the gun and examine the rest of the gun. The dealer explained that he had the forend off one of his guns broken in half when the "inspector' put the forend back on the gun and used the (to me) "goose bump" method of whacking the forend back in place with the heel of his hand, breaking it in half. My intent was to check the SN of the barrels to see if they matched the rest of the gun, but of course lost interest at his command.

I must add that at no time did either Chuck or myself make any disparaging remarks regarding the discrepancies on any of the guns to the dealer, respecting the PGCA Code of Conducts caveats regarding inspecting any Parker; never cut another's gun down as to originality or pricing, nor specuulate as to pricing vs. relative worth either as a shooter or as a collector. These particulars were laid down years ago as to the conduct of PGCA members examining Parker Guns, and we were careful to observe and respect them.

Later on, when I had checked the statistics in the Parker Gun SN book, I thanked the dealer, kept my counsel, and moved on.

I was most suspicious of the gun not having the original barrels on it when I saw the replaced extractor fitting as described earlier, but the owner objected so I did not do so.

So I get the picture we dont know what was wrong the gun or the book , most likely the gun .

Given the other discrepancies, my money would be on the gun.

My apologies
 

Gentlemen,
I did not intend to start a wild goose chase. I, too, noticed discrepancies with the guns but, not knowing if the seller was a member or friend of someone, did not want to disparage his stuff. Not handling them at all, I was reporting what I was told by the seller. Mainly, I had never seen the font used on the side markings and was curious. Sorry if I wasted anyone's time.

Joe

Joe,

You did nothing wrong. Both Kevin and I wanted to see the gun and make our own evaluation. You never know when you actually find that needle in a haystack unless you occasionally look for it.

BTW, both the stock book and the order book agree, 26" barrels, extractor gun.

Joe ,Most of the fun is in the HUNT !Thank you for letting us all in on the Parkers ! Russ

Joe;
Good job. That's what this Parker collecting and shooting thing is all about. No need for apologies. You just never know.

Joe - there is absolutely no need to apologize for anything or to anyone -

The only way to REALLY learn about Parker Guns is to get out 'amongst 'em', so to speak, like you just did. Never assume that a dealer that does not really specialize in Parkers actually knows what he has on his table at any given show. For example, the 26" VHE with the 'Parker' inscribed at the hinge break on the bottom, no "Parker Bros." on the sides of the receiver, yet a Meriden addressed rib on top, was clearly an unusual (NOT rare) gun of very early Remington manufacture at Meriden after the 1934 buyout by Remington.

The dealer sort of indicated he "knew all about that", as he put it, hence the hefty price tag. But IMHO he completely missed the standout feature of the gun, the Remington-installed single selective trigger; not a Miller and not a Parker Bros., with no markings visible anywhere on the trigger boss or spoon - perhaps a first-generation Remington trigger installed at Meriden? Who knows? Unless you pulled the stock off, you'd never know; this in front of a guy who didn't want the forend removed unless I was a 'serious buyer'?

The only way to know is to ask questions, and many times a lot of these dealers don't know and don't really care - all they know is its a Parker and Parkers bring big money. So walk softly and carry a big checkbook - and a good magnifying glass and tape measure to boot. And by all means, if you don't own the Parker SN book, get one!